Like his other top-notch foes Tomasz Adamek, Enzo Maccarinelli and James Toney, Gunn understands that he must be sharp and stick to his game plan. Failure to do so could be a crucial mistake and one that ends his career.

To prepare for Johnson, one of the toughest fighters in boxing history, Gunn’s enlisted contender Ossie “The Ghanaian Gladiator” Duran as a chief sparring partner. Like Johnson, Duran’s only been stopped once, rarely gets knocked down, pushes all of his opponents to the limit and lost many controversial decisions. Best described as an “old pro” or “gym rat”, Duran is virtually flawless in mimicking Johnson’s style.

“Ossie is an incredible training partner and I thank him for all of the work he’s given me so far,” said Gunn, who hones his craft in the fighting city of Paterson, NJ. “Anybody who knows the sport and is around the gym definitely heard stories about Ossie schooling good fighters during training camps. He’s the consummate professional and I couldn’t ask for better work.”

Two major focal points of Gunn’s camp are speed and power. Like Gunn, Johnson, 52-18-2 (36 KO’s), is known for standing in the pocket and fighting with his opponents. Johnson’s high guard and anticipation of punches are a major part of why he’s been able to stand toe to toe with boxing’s elite. Gunn however has noted one of Johnson’s biggest flaws and plans to expose it on the 18th.

“Glen has one of the greatest chins of all time and doesn’t take a step backwards, but he’s struggled against opponents with speed or explosive power. Chad Dawson fought him perfectly in their rematch. Lucian Bute, George Groves and Carl Froch did a great job as well. They were all a step ahead and made him uncomfortable with fast and hard punches.”

Gunn also believes this is a great opportunity to display that he’s more than just a crude puncher.

“Everybody knows I can do damage with both hands. Even with my punching power, I’m not going in there and recklessly looking for a knockout. Glen’s matured into his body and I expect him to look like a natural cruiserweight with great punch resistance. With that said my power’s going to be more dangerous than ever before because of the speed I’m going to pack with it. For this reason, I believe I’m going to be the first man to legitimately knock out Glen Johnson!”